


you weren't my past, but you will be my future

by mynameis_not_cathofaragon



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Awkward Spencer Reid, Awkward reader, Case Fic, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Love Confessions, Mentions of Murder, Minor Violence, My First Work in This Fandom, POV First Person, also, also jemily isn't mentioned but they are together, basically mentions of canon typical stuff, both only by the unsub, cause i don't like second person pov sorry, implied religious fanaticism, mentions of dead bodies, spencer drinks pumpkin spice lattes, spoilers for the case ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27151535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameis_not_cathofaragon/pseuds/mynameis_not_cathofaragon
Summary: The team goes to the reader's hometown for a case. Feelings and realizations ensue.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i never thought i'd be writing and posting x reader fanfic on ao3, but the world's ending anyway, so fuck it, right?  
> this was supposed to be a short little thing but i got slightly carried away the case aspect, so it ended up being +6k words, it's all written so i'll post the next two chapters quickly, maybe later today or tomorrow.  
> about the fic itself, obviously i'm not a profiler, all my knowledge comes from the show, and this is my first time writing self insert, so forgive and point out any mistakes, please! i think that's all

“Hi, I’m sorry I’m late, the line was way longer than I expected!” I pretty much stumbled into the BAU room, blurting out apologies as I tried to balance all the coffees I was holding.

Hotch called my name, a slightly amused expression on his face. “It’s Ok, JJ’s not here yet.”

I let out a small sigh in relief; JJ indeed was nowhere to be seen, and realistically I was only late by less than ten minutes. I began passing out the drinks: black coffee for Hotch, a cappuccino for Morgan, a caramel macchiato for Emily, a latte for Rossi, a pumpkin spice latte for Spencer, herbal tea for Penelope, and a hot chocolate for me. Usually we just drank the coffee that already was at the office, but I had woken up a bit earlier than usual, so I decided to pick up some drinks at the coffee shop near my apartment; the line had been longer than I’d anticipated, though.

Once I was done, I took my seat next to Spencer, who smiled brightly as a greeting.

JJ walked in then, already handing us folders with files for the new case as soon as she stepped into the room. As she gave me mine, I handed her the last remaining drink, a vanilla latte. She smiled in thanks, and promptly began briefing us.

“So, we got three victims, female, late twenties. They were abducted, kept for four to five days, and the bodies were then dumped in an alleyway, with ligature marks on their wrists.”

“All three bodies were the same?” Asked Emily.

“Actually,” JJ pressed a button, the screen showing pictures of two bodies,” only Sarah Iddings and Tara Martinez’s bodies were found, victims one and two. The third one, Melanie Garson, was only abducted last night.”

Those names sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on where I’d hear them before.

“Cause of death?” Asked then Rossi.

“Asphyxiation.”

“So, probably personal,” he declared. “Is there any relation between the victims?”

JJ sighed. “Yes and no,” she said. “It’s a small town, so their paths definitely cross.”

No.

Morgan hummed. “What’s the name of the town?”

_No._

When JJ said the name, I couldn’t help but curse quietly. Obviously, everyone turned to me then, evidently confused by my reaction.

I sighed. “That’s my hometown,” I explained,” I thought I knew those names: I went to school with the victims.”

Understanding appeared on their faces, followed by concern, specially from Spencer.

“Would you like to sit this one out?” Hotch asked me.

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine, believe me, I’m not emotionally compromised, I barely knew them.” At his still questioning face, I quickly reassured him, “Thanks, Hotch, but it’s fine, really.”

He nodded. “Alright, then, everybody, wheels up in thirty.”

* * *

Normally, for flights I sat in front of, or near, Spencer, either each with a book, talking, or playing cards or chess until it was time to go over whatever case we were working that time. This sitting arrangement was probably one of the reasons why our relationship was a bit closer than with anyone else, and why my small “hey, my co-worker is cute” crush hadn’t taken too long to become an infatuation.

This time, though, I chose a seat slightly apart from everyone, and put on my headphones while I pondered about the case and everything it entailed.

I hadn’t lied to Hotch, I truly didn’t think my judgement would be compromised; the thing was, I wasn’t completely comfortable going back home either. My high school years hadn’t been ideal; fortunately, I’d never been bullied, but I hadn’t been popular either. Mostly, I’d just kept to myself, unbothered and invisible; I hadn’t had honest to god friends back then, just friendly classmates with whom I could chat sometimes.

My interactions during that time reduced to small talk, two parties that I hadn’t enjoyed and being asked for help in assignments and test, as I could have been considered a bit of a nerd.

It hadn’t been _bad,_ but it hadn’t been good either, I’d just wanted to get it over with and go to college to never come back. Luckily for me, at the beginning of my second year of college my parents had moved out of town, so I never had to go back. Until now.

“Hey.”

I startled, focusing my sight on Spencer, who was sitting in front of me; I hadn’t heard him come, too wrapped up in my thoughts.

He smiled apologetically. “Sorry.”

I shook my head, a small smile forming on my face. “Don’t worry, I was just thinking.”

“The case?” He asked, concern written all over him.

“My time in high school, actually.”

He nodded, understanding what I meant. “I´m always a bit worried of running into someone I knew when we go to Vegas.”

I chuckled. “Well, at least Vegas is a big city, the chances of you running into someone from school can’t be high,” I said. “This is a small town, half of the people leave to never come back, the other half never leave. I know I’ll run into someone.”

“Maybe they won’t recognize you!” He supplied. “I’ve seen photos of you in high school, you’ve changed a lot.”

I felt my cheeks heat up, remembering that time some months ago when after a successful case we’d gone to get some drinks and somehow we all ended up showing old pictures of ourselves. Still, I asked him jokingly, “Is that a compliment or an insult, Reid?”

Spencer blushed faintly, but before he could say something, Hotch was calling our attention to go over the case before we landed.

“So, my doves,” started Garcia,” I tried to find some relation between the victims, but as JJ said, their paths definitely crossed. Sarah Iddings shared her accountant with Melanie Garson, who shared a dentist with Tara Martinez; Tara and Sarah went to the same gym, and so on and so forth.”

“But is there anything the three of them shared?” Asked Morgan.

“Nothing yet, except for the fact that they all went to the same school, but we knew that.”

I nodded. “There’s only two schools in town, I don’t think we can count it as a lead for now.”

Hotch turned to me. “Do you remember anything about the victims?”

“I wasn’t close to them,” I explained,” and I don’t think they were close either. They were typical teenage girls, Melanie was part of the ‘popular’ group, nice enough, I guess, always dating someone, but never for long,” I recalled. “Sarah was always with her boyfriend, they were on and off since I can remember, and Tara was… just there?” I shrugged. “They were normal as far as I can remember, pleasant and friendly to be around.”

“Can you think of anyone who might have had a grudge against them?” Chimed in Rossi.

“As I said, they were nice, never bullied or harassed anyone.”

“Alright,” said Hotch,” Prentiss and Morgan, you’ll go to Tara and Sarah’s houses, Rossi and y/n, go to Melanie Garson’s house, Reid and I will go to see the bodies, and JJ, you go to the station.”

We landed no long after that, each duo, and JJ, taking an SUV to wherever we needed to go.

I was a bit restless, constantly pushing my glasses up my nose, bouncing a leg or chewing my lower lip (my teeth would most likely end up at least a tad stained with lipstick by the time I calmed down).

Rossi would glance at me sometimes, but thankfully said nothing until we parked at Melanie’s house. Even then, he only asked me “Are you alright, kid?” and didn’t insist when I nodded.

There weren’t any policemen at Melanie’s, probably due to the fact that the abduction had taken place a while ago already, and they’d surely asked their questions; it was our time now.

Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car, closely followed by Rossi, and walked as confidently as I could to the front door. That makeshift confidence was interrupted when the person who opened the door was Valerie Masters, yet another of my former classmates.

“Mrs Garson? I’m agent Rossi, this is agent y/l/n, we’re here with the FBI for the abduction of Melanie Garson.”

Valerie nodded, opening the door more and moving to the side. “The police said you were gonna come.” She was about to add something, but before she could, she fixed her eyes on me. “Y/n?”

I gave a small wave, mirroring Spencer’s greeting of choice. She stood silently for a few seconds, allowing me to really look at her. She was pretty much the same as she had been in high school: long blonde hair, freckled cheeks, bony; now, though, there were bags under her eyes, which were puffy and red, and her hair was all dishevelled. The pain in her eyes made me look away.

Maybe she noticed, because after that she sprang into action. “Here, take a seat,” she led us to the living room,” Would you like some tea? I- I’ll go make some, I’ll be right back.” And with that, she disappeared, most likely to the kitchen, obviously needing to do something.

Rossi and I shared a look, and then started scanning the room. It hadn’t taken me long to understand that at some point Melanie and Valerie had gotten together, and their living room gave proof of that. It was a lovely place really, very homey, full of photographs; overall, it seemed like a lived-in place, nothing out of the ordinary, neat but not suspiciously so.

Valerie came back then, holding a tray with some cups of coffee, despite saying she’d make tea. We all took a seat, her leg immediately starting to bounce. Rossi glanced at me, silently asking me to begin the interview, but before I could, Valerie talked.

“So, you are FBI now.” It wasn’t a question; she probably was unconsciously stalling.

I nodded. “Not good conditions to meet again, are they?” She chuckled weakly. “We know the police talked to you, but we’ll need to ask you some questions as well.” I paused. “Can you think of anyone who would do this to Melanie?”

She shook her head. “I know you may remember her as a bit arrogant, but she’s changed, she’s so nice to everyone!” Her voice broke a bit, but she kept going,” Everyone loves Melanie, really.”

“Is there any connection between her, Sarah Iddings and Tara Martinez?” Rossi asked.

“I mean, they talked, everyone here knows each other, but they weren’t friends.”

“Was she acting different these last few days?”

Valerie seemed to think for a moment. “We’ve all been a bit shaken up with the- the murders,” she explained,” but nothing else.”

“And what about your relationship?” I asked.

She looked confused by the question, but answered normally, “I went to college in California, came back a few years ago and met Mel again, started dating a while later and two years ago we got married. We are doing well, sure, we argue sometimes, but nothing big.”

We asked some more questions after that. Valerie was holding up remarkably well considering her circumstances and was as helpful as she could, and we also inspected the house, but once again, nothing stood out. We got no leads, their life seemed completely normal, nothing that would make Melanie stand out; the only thing we got was that she was rather low risk.

With no more questions, we made our way back to the station silently. My initial anxiety had diminished considerably, replaced by intent on doing my job and solving the case.

Everyone but Emily and Morgan were already at the station, having set up, Hotch with some files, Spencer with a map and JJ talking to someone on the phone. Letting out a small sigh, I took a seat closest to Spencer, taking off my glasses and rubbing the bridge of my nose.

“You got anything?” Asked Hotch as Rossi sat, too.

“Nothing,” I replied.” The bodies?”

“CoD was asphyxiation via strangulation,” said Spencer, dropping the marker he had been using for the map and sitting down next to me,” no marks to indicate rope but no fingerprints either, and ligature marks on wrists. Also, Sarah Iddings had a burn on her ring finger.”

“Only Sarah?”

“Yes, and her wedding ring was missing,” added Hotch. “It was on Tara Martinez, but she hadn’t been burnt.”

“A signature then? Is her original ring missing?” I asked.

“She didn’t have one, she’d recently gotten a divorce,” Spencer explained,” and there didn’t seem to be any other thing she had on her missing.” 

“Weird.”

Emily and Morgan arrived then, just as JJ hung up with whoever she’d been talking to. Morgan went straight to the coffee machine in the corner, while Emily stood behind JJ, gently rubbing her shoulders.

After calling Garcia, the quickly briefed us on what they’d found out, which, similar to us, wasn’t much. The only new detail was that apparently Sarah had been cheating on her husband, Jackson, the same guy who she’d dated all throughout high school, and then married short after, turned out.

“He told us he’d suspected for a while, but she never said anything. Then, some weeks ago, he saw her sneaking someone out of the house,” Emily said,” and he never told the cops because he didn’t want to be considered a suspect.”

“And you don’t think he is?” Asked Hotch.

“The kid doesn’t seem capable,” said Morgan,” and so far he has no motive. We told some officers to keep an eye on him, though.”

Rossi, who had so far looked quite pensive, spoke up. “Was the someone a woman?.”

Emily shook her head. “No, why?”

“Melanie’s married to a woman,” I told them, catching on Rossi’s train of thought. I turned to him,” You think this is a hate crime?”

He shrugged, not really convinced. I wasn’t neither, and it didn’t seem like anyone else thought it possible, but it was a theory.

Hotch asked Penelope if she’d uncover anything new then.

“Some more overlaps between two of them at a time,” she sighed. “The only thing they all have in common so far is high school.”

We kept quiet for a few minutes, looking at the board and through the files, thinking. That is, until Spencer broke the silence with an exclamation.

“What if it _is_ the school?”

I looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

Before he could answer, Garcia chimed in with a gasp. “Wait, are you in danger, y/n?”

Spencer shook his head energetically, standing up and gesturing with his hands. “No, no. What if something happened back then, and someone is looking for revenge?”

We all contemplated his theory for a moment. It didn’t seem like the most plausible option, but it wasn’t that crazy either, and it made more sense than a hate crime.

“I guess it would explain why Melanie was taken being low risk, she probably knew the unsub, as well as the overkill with the other victims,” I supplied.

It was decided then that the next morning, as it was already kinda late, Spencer and I would go to talk to the families again and enquire about his theory. Hopefully it’d lead us somewhere.


	2. Chapter 2

The net morning, Spencer and I went straight to Melanie’s house. When Valerie opened the door, confusion, hope and fear crossed her face in quick succession before I even got the chance to say hello.

“There are no news, yet,” I told her apologetically,” we’re here to ask some more questions.”

“Oh… sorry, please, come in.”

We did, Spencer briefly introducing himself as we stepped inside.

Valerie led us to the living room and offered some coffee again, but unlike the previous day, she looked a bit more collected and not as frantic.

“You said you had more questions?”

Spencer nodded. “Did something happen back when you were in high school?”

She looked taken aback, quickly glancing at me as if asking what he meant; and honestly, I didn’t blame her, if I hadn’t been there when he’d told us his theory, I’d be pretty confused too. Realizing this as well, the doctor explained the idea we were entertaining.

“Oh,” she paused.” I wasn’t friends with Mel back then, actually, so I can’t say for certain, but she never told me anything.”

“Are you sure?” I pressed gently,” Maybe she some time mentioned a prank gone wrong, or an incident?”

Valerie shook her head confidently. “If something of the sort happened, she never told me.”

“I see,” Spencer hummed.” Did you ever notice Melanie acting strange during a specific date? Perhaps on edge, or very quiet?”

“I mean, her father passed away last year on May, so she was feeling blue on the anniversary of his death, but that was only this year. Other than that, no, never.”

We asked some more questions, trying to help her remember in case she’d noticed something and forgot, or trying to make her slip up if she knew something but kept quiet protecting someone, maybe herself, but she either knew nothing or was a damn good actress.

After that, we left, promising we’d tell her if something happened, and making her promise us if she recalled anything.

The day was rather lovely, and Sarah and Tara had lived near enough to Melanie and Valerie, so we opted to walk to their houses.

First was the Iddings residence, where a miserable looking Jackson Trade opened the door. Unlike Valerie, he had been close to Sarah when we were teenagers, and he told us positively that Sarah had never done anything that would require revenge with the other victims. He seemed sincere, and Morgan and Emily had been right, no way he was responsible for Sarah’s murder, nor any of the others. We left quickly.

Next up we went to see Tara’s ex-husband (could he be considered a widower?). Comparing him to Valerie and Jackson, he looked extraordinarily well, barely affected really, but without being suspicious.

We introduced ourselves, and I could see him looking at me intently for a few seconds, maybe thinking I looked familiar, but he said nothing about it, and instead led us inside, where Spencer asked the questions.

I wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize me, even if I did remember him. Frank Martins, certified popular jerk, unlike Tara, who had always been nice to me and everyone else; I’d always wondered how they had been such close friends back then, and gotten married later apparently. Maybe that was why they’d gotten a divorce.

“-I told you,” he was saying,” Tara and I hadn’t even lived together for the past few months, I don’t know if she had been acting strange.”

I shot Spencer a look, obviously this interview would lead to nothing. He nodded almost imperceptibly.

“Alright, thank you.”

We all stood up, heading towards the door.

“Anytime, agent,” Frank said, a note of sarcasm in his voice.

I couldn’t help but smirk as Spencer corrected him. “It’s doctor.” 

“So we’re again at the start,” I sighed once we’d walked away.

“I guess it was a bit of a long shot,” he shrugged.” Maybe we profiled him wrong, and the victims have no other connection than having gone to the same school.”

He looked slightly defeated, and I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping an arm around his waist, pulling him close in an attempt to comfort him. “There’s a connection, we just haven’t seen it yet.”

I could feel him tense a bit under my impromptu hug, but just as I was about to pull away and maybe apologize, he relaxed and wrapped his own arm around my shoulders, giving me a small smile as he did so, which I gladly returned.

We walked in silence after that. Considering it was November, the day was delightful, a soft breeze moving the trees around us, and the warmth of one Spencer Reid next to me.

The streets were quiet, the only sound the swaying tree tops and the very occasional car. Spencer and I weren’t those people who liked to be silent all the time, we both liked to talk. I would gladly listen to him explain whatever for hours, both because it was interesting and because he always had such a blissful look on his face when he did; as for me, I knew he would listen to me ramble about the latest book I’d read or new interest I’d picked up that time, actually listening and asking me questions later.

When we’d first met, every silence had been filled with these rambles, both of us too socially awkward and unacquaintance with each other. As we grew closer, more comfortable, it hadn’t been necessary to do it, and while we still talked a lot, sometimes, like now, we wouldn’t say anything and simply enjoy the other’s company.

Walking around my hometown like such was weird. Back when I’d lived here, I’d never expected to even have the chance to do it; I hadn’t had any real friends, much less a boyfriend with whom to stroll through the street in an embrace. I had actually crushed on Frank Martins for a while -before realizing he was an idiot, that is- and I had fantasised of dates like this.

I let myself forget the case for just a moment, closing my eyes and imagining that I was just taking a walk with my boyfriend, inching just a bit closer to Spencer. It wasn’t hard to imagine, and I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought of something similar before. Fifteen-year-old me would be astonished that I had someone like Spencer Reid in my life, even if just as my best friend.

When I opened my eyes after a couple of seconds, I found Spencer staring at me softly, his face closer than before; as a matter of fact, only a few inches separated us. I glanced quickly at his lips, almost on instinct, and my cheeks heated up when I saw him do the same. We moved just a bit closer.

“Y/n, I-

But before anything could happen, someone called my name in surprise.

Cursing not so silently, I turned my head, willing away the annoyance I knew was on my face. In front of us, with a disbelieving smile was Bill Waters, yet another of my former classmates. And Spencer had said that maybe I wouldn't run into anybody.

“It is you!” He exclaimed, grinning.

“Hi, Bill.”

“I haven’t seen you in years, what happened to you?”

“My parents moved away, I didn’t have a reason to come back,” I explained awkwardly. Clearing my throat, I gestured to Spencer,” Bill, Dr Spencer Reid; Spence, Bill Waters.”

Bill leaned forward, clearly with the intent to shake his hand, but Spencer just waved at him.

“So, how you been?” He smiled at me.

We did small talk for a few minutes, albeit rather reluctantly from my side. Bill hadn’t been a bad guy, just kind of annoying, and the years hadn’t taken that away. He actually seemed genuinely happy to see me, which made me feel slightly guilty. While he didn’t have a problem to tell me about his life these last few years, I kept my answers short and vague, only saying I was in town because of work; I didn’t think he had anything to do with the murders, but better safe than sorry.

Only when he left and Spencer’s grip on my shoulders relaxed, did I realize that it had even tighten in the first place; it made me smile. The spell from before, however, had broken, and I couldn’t meet his eyes, even if we still walked with our arms around each other the couple of blocks left to the station.

This, of course, earned us some pointed looks and smirks from Rossi, Emily and Morgan, but I paid them no mind, heading instead to stand in front of the board, as Spencer recounted the interviews to them.

For the next few hours, we sorted through the files and brainstormed, reaching at least a preliminary profile, even if victimology was still blurry.

“This unsub knows his victims,” Hotch began, looking at the officers and detectives in front of us.

“Strangulation and post mortem wounds indicate personal connection,” added Emily from where she was half sitting on a desk.

“He has somewhere when he can keep his victims for a couple of days without alerting neighbours or passers-by,” I chimed in,” so he either lives somewhere isolated or has such property.”

“He doesn’t seem like a suspicious man, but he is most likely a loner, probably doesn’t have many relationships,” said Spencer.

“He’s functional, but seems off,” finished Morgan.

JJ approached just as we wrapped up, sporting an expression that could only bring bad news.

Rossi voice what we were all thinking. “There’s a new victim.” When she nodded, he asked,” Was Melanie’s body found?”

“Not yet,” she told us,” police are looking but there’s nothing in the dumpsite.”

“Who’s the victim?”

“William Waters.”

I looked at Spencer on instinct, and he looked right back at me.

“What is it?” Asked Hotch.

“We ran into him this morning.”

“He recognized and we talked for a while.” Before he could ask, I added,” There was nothing strange with him and I’m pretty sure no one was following him.”

Meanwhile, Garcia had been called and she’d done a quick once over of Bill’s life.

“There’s nothing, guys, just some overlapping with either one or two of the other victims. The only thing they all got in common is school. Sorry.”

Morgan sighed. “Thanks anyway, babygirl.” 

We were missing something, just one little thing and I’m sure we’d crack this. Sarah, Tara, Melanie and Bill all had one thing in common, we just didn’t know what yet.

“Perhaps is something about the partners?” JJ wondered out loud. “Sarah had been cheating on her husband, and Tara was divorced.”

“What about Melanie and Bill, though?” Said Spencer.” They seemed to be in good, healthy relationships.”

“Wait,” I said, an idea forming in my head.” What if it is and isn’t about them?”

“What do you mean?” Asked Hotch.

“He’s targeting people in ‘wrong’ relationships.”

“A delusion,” Rossi supplied.

I nodded energetically. “Maybe a religious delusion, many people here are incredibly religious and conservative.” I turned to Spencer,” And maybe there is a connection to my school, he most likely was in my class.”

“Adultery, divorce, homosexuality,” listed Emily,” makes sense that a delusional ‘conservative’ would target this people.”

“Was there anybody you can remember who would fit the profile?” Hotch asked me.

I thought for a second, before naming five people who might fit. Garcia looked them up quickly: the first one had moved away, the second had actually died some years in an unfortunate car accident; of the three that remained, only two had properties where they could keep someone.

Augustus Matthews and Logan Daniels. I gave them a brief description of their personalities back then; Logan was devoted, but rather extroverted, Augustus, though, fit to a T, and my gut told me it was him.

Not wanting to lose any time, Hotch, Morgan and JJ headed to Daniels’, while the rest of the team, including me, went to Matthews’.

His house was in the outskirts of town, spacious old building with big front and back yards perfect evil lair honestly. We got there quickly, some officers had come with us. Rossi went first, calling his name before we had to break in.

When we got out of the car, Spencer came to my side, fidgeting with his hands, a worried expression on his face.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna sit this one out?” He asked in a low voice. “I’m sure everyone will understand.”

My heart melted a bit, even though I had been asked the same before; maybe because it was him.” I promise I’m fine, Spence.” He still didn’t look convinced, so I gently out my hand on his shoulder, looking directly in his eyes.” Really.”

He nodded reluctantly, realizing that I wouldn’t change my mind.

We heard the noise of a door getting kicked then, our cue to move into action. Living room, kitchen, dining room and office were all empty, not incriminatory stuff evident, so Spencer, a couple of officers and I went upstairs, while Rossi and Emily headed to the basement.

I’d barely checked one bedroom when we heard Rossi shouting to let us know he was, indeed, in the basement. We wasted no time to run to them.

I descended the stairs carefully, holding my gun firmly, Spencer not far behind me, taking the scene ahead of me. The basement wasn’t big, just a few square feet; next to the door, Emily and Rossi were pointing their guns at Augustus, who looked positively desperate, his gaze quickly flickering from one point to other, he didn’t appear to have a weapon, instead holding an open bible and rosary. When we came into the room, his eyes fixed on us, me specifically, and recognition tinted his features, distracting him momentarily.

That split second of distraction was all Emily needed, apparently, because next thing we knew, she was handcuffing him, telling him to keep silent.

She passed him to a police officer, accompanying both of them outside. I met his eyes for one moment, slightly tilting my chin upwards, and looking away, not giving him the chance to say anything.

With that problem out of the way, I focused on the victims. Melanie and Bill were tied to a beam on the wall, their arms stretched out wide. Bill looked quite good, after all, he’d only been abducted for a few hours, and he seemed mostly confused. Melanie, on the other hand, was obviously exhausted, dark circles under her eyes and very pale, her eyes unfocused. I hurried to untie them, followed by Spencer.

Melanie stumbled a bit when I loosened the rope, but I could support her. “Hey, you’re alright.” She nodded, but seemed out of it.

“Y/n? Dr Reid?”

I turned to Bill. “I did tell you I was here for work.”

That made him laugh, and managed to grab Melanie’s attention, who called my name in confusion, just then recognizing me.

“You’re FBI,” she stated.

“I am. Can you move? The paramedics will be here soon.”

She couldn’t, but luckily the rest of the team arrived then, so Morgan and Spencer helped her to the front yard. A few minutes later, an ambulance was taking both of them to the hospital, and a patrol was taking Augustus into custody.

As I watched the cars drive away, I felt rather than heard Spencer approach me. Without saying a word, he draped an arm over my shoulders, pulling me towards him. I knew Spencer wasn’t overly fond of physical contact all the time, so the times that he was the one to initiate it filled me with warmth. There was paperwork to do, and we would have to talk about that moment that morning sooner rather than later, but for the time being, I snuggled closer to him, closing my eyes and letting some of the stress fade away.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few hours were blurry, mostly due to the fact that it was the monotonous process of filling reports and packing up the room that we’d been using. By the time we were done, it was already too late for the plane to take off, so we spend one more night there, and left early the next morning.

Fortunately for us, the immediately needed paperwork had been done, and it was Sunday, so we had the day off.

The moment I got home, I took a long shower, changing into my comfiest pyjamas afterwards. I tried to read, but my thoughts kept going back to one dorky doctor, so after being stuck on the same page for fifteen minutes, I gave up, putting the book away and focusing solely on Spencer.

He was my best friend, we could understand each other so easily, if something had to be said, it was. I was happy with our relationship, really, I had never clicked with someone like that before him, but the heart wants what it wants, I guess, and my heart had been longing for Spencer Reid for a while now.

I loved him, that much was clear, and I knew he loved me as a friend as well, but lately I’d noticed some things. I was a profiler, reading people’s behaviour was my literal job, and I was good at it, but when I was involved my judgement clouded apparently. I couldn’t believe that my feelings could be returned, so I forced myself to ignore his blushing and looks, the way he seemed to smile only at me sometimes.

But then we had almost kissed, and there wasn’t much room for misunderstanding in what had happened, honestly: somehow, Spencer liked me, too.

I could just ignore it, act like nothing had happened, break my heart a bit now and move on before giving it a chance and breaking my heart more later; it was the safe option, but the one that hurt the most. It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I preferred giving it a go, having at least a taste, and perhaps getting hurt later, than never trying at all.

With this new resolution in mind, I got up (my legs stumbling slightly from numbness after being on the couch thinking for lord knows how long) and grabbed my phone, texting Spencer asking if he was busy, and if not, if he wanted to come to my place. Some minutes later, he replied saying he was on his way, and he was bringing pizza.

I smiled at that. After draining cases, it wasn’t uncommon for Spencer and I to order some takeout, put on a movie and relax for a while; sometimes the rest of the team joined in, but it was mostly just the two of us. While this case had been rather simple and with a happy ending, giving the circumstances, it could be considered emotionally trying for me.

I used the time that it would take him to arrive to tidy up a bit and brush my hair, not bothering to change out of my pyjamas. Just as I was finishing, the doorbell rang.

“Hey,” I smiled, opening the door wider and stepping aside.

“Hey,” he stepped in, holding up a box of pizza. “I come bearing gifts.”

I chuckled, and so we began going to the well-practiced motions of our after-case-takeout-movie nights.

Once everything was set up, we settled on the couch, with our legs crossed under us, our knees just a couple of inches apart. It wouldn’t have been noticeable for someone who didn’t know him, but Spencer was nervous, I could see it from the way he kept brushing his hair behind his ears, and how he couldn’t seem to meet my eyes; I hoped it was for the same reason I myself was on edge.

For both our sakes, I put on a movie I knew we’d already seen, some feel-good rom-com, and so for a while we simply ate as we provided commentary and laughed good-naturedly. After about half an hour, though, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Taking a deep breath and forcing my heartbeat to slow down, I turned my body to face him, his posture instantly mirroring mine; without a word, he muted the movie.

I had mentally practiced a speech, well, a declaration more like, but as Spencer looked at me so attentively, his eyes wide and mesmerizing, no words would come out.

He called my name softly,” Is everything alright?”

“I’m in love with you!”

I definitely did not intent to just blurt out my love for him like that, but somehow that had happened. Stupid social awkwardness.

He didn’t say anything, probably because I didn’t give him more than four seconds before I began rambling. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I mean, I did mean that, I am very much in love with you, I just didn’t mean to say it like that, I had a whole speech prepared, but I was nervous- “

“Y/n.”

“-still am, actually, you make me nervous… but in a good way! I wasn’t about to tell, honestly, didn’t think my feelings were requited, but then we almost kissed yesterday- “

“Y/n.”

“-at least I’m pretty sure we almost did, maybe I’m wrong. It’s fine if I am, I get it, you don’t have to say it back or anything, I can take it back if you want- “

“Y/n!”

I shut up, finally looking back at him, not really knowing what to expect. In front of me, his face way closer than before, was Spencer, a soft look in his eyes and grinning wildly.

“Yes?” I asked sheepishly.

He let out a small fond laugh, and took my hands in his. “I love you, too, you know.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “Have for a while, but was to nervous that you didn’t feel the same to even ask you on a date.”

“Anyone who refused to go out with you, Spencer Reid, would be out of their mind,” I declared, squeezing his hands. He blushed at this, casting his sight down for a second, and he looked so adorable I couldn’t help but ask,” Can I kiss you?”

As a response, he cradled my face with one hand, the other holding my waist, and leaned down, barely giving me time to drape my arms around his neck before his lips were over mine, a feather light touch that send a shiver down my spine.

While keeping the kiss soft and slow, I pressed just a bit harder, relishing on the feel of him. The kiss was sweet and short, nothing but a touch of lips, but better than anything I had imagined.

As we separated, our foreheads still pressed together, I sighed happily, not opening my eyes just yet; when I did, I saw the look of love in Spencer’s eyes, and my heart melted.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for some time,” I breathed.

“Me too,” he pecked me on the lips once. “Does this count as our first date then?”

I gasped mockingly, the effect lost as our faces were still not two inches apart. “Is that the way to ask a girl on a date, Dr Reid?”

He sat up straight, causing me to instantly miss his touch, and said in a solemn voice,” Would you give me the honour of going out on a date with me?”

“Why, yes!” I exclaimed in an exaggerated southern accent, causing us both to laugh.

After that, we cuddled on the couch and continued watching the forgotten movie as we would have done any other day, with the slight difference that now our ridiculous commentary and jokes were accompanied with kisses and smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, that was my first attempt at writing spencer x reader, did i do good? hope you enjoyed it!


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